North Atlantic Books publishes queer trauma healing guide

North Atlantic Books has released Queer Expressions, a new clinical resource by Wednesdae Reim Ifrach that blends expressive arts and somatic therapy for LGBTQIA+ trauma, eating disorder recovery and dysphoria. The book targets therapists and bodyworkers looking for anti-oppressive, trauma-informed tools grounded in harm reduction.

Why it matters: - Queer Expressions adds a clinical resource for trauma care in LGBTQIA+ communities where discrimination, harassment and systemic violence can shape both mental and body-based symptoms. - The book is aimed at therapists, art therapists, creative arts educators and somatic bodyworkers working with trauma, eating disorder recovery and dysphoria. - The release emphasizes anti-oppressive and harm-reduction approaches rather than pathologizing survival behaviors.

What happened: - North Atlantic Books announced the publication of Queer Expressions: Expressive Art and Somatic Therapy Practices for Healing Body Trauma by Wednesdae Reim Ifrach, REAT, ATR-BC, CLAT. - The book is now available in paperback and ebook editions. - North Atlantic Books is based in Berkeley, California.

The details: - The book connects traditional psychotherapy with embodied and creative recovery models. - It uses polyvagal theory, somatic tracking and the Expressive Therapies Continuum to help clients externalize preverbal and implicit trauma residues. - The text presents clinical spaces as anti-oppressive sanctuaries and includes intersectional considerations tied to race, disability, class, gender and sexuality. - The methodology includes titration, somatic boundary setting and client-led safety planning. - The textbook includes practical guidance on somatic tracking, diaphragmatic breathwork and improvisational sensorimotor exploration. - It provides step-by-step studio protocols, materials guidance and somatic verification check-ins. - It includes clinical vignettes covering parallel therapeutic processes, countertransference awareness and recoveries from complex trauma and atypical eating disorders.

Between the lines: - The book’s framing suggests a push to expand trauma care beyond talk therapy for clients whose distress is held in the body as well as in language. - The emphasis on liberation, agency and social justice signals a therapeutic model designed for culturally competent care rather than one-size-fits-all treatment. - Zachary D. Van Den Berg, president of the Coalition for Queer Creative Arts Therapies, called the book “a timely, essential read” for people studying or supporting LGBTQIA+ lives through creative therapeutic practice. - Monika Ostroff, executive director of the Multi-Service Eating Disorder Association, said Ifrach “delivers a master class in the art of healing” by fusing expressive and somatic therapies.

What's next: - The book is positioned as a foundational text for training and clinical practice in queer-affirming, trauma-informed care. - Ifrach’s existing work, including co-owning Rainbow Recovery and founding the nation’s first LGBTQIA+-specific eating disorder treatment track, may help drive interest among clinicians and educators. - More information is available on the author's Instagram.